Man, Like, I Dig “The Mole People” –Tonight!

Tonight on Me-TV, we dig deep into our library to bring back a 1950s favorite- the semi-plausible story of a lost civilization that lies deep beneath the earth’s crust- home of some pale personalities and –“The Mole People”! You might remember the opening of this film- in an attempt to give some “credibility” to its far-fetched premise, we get a lecture from Dr. Frank Baxter, who explains various theories regarding possible life inside the earth- of course, Dr. Frank does mention that the movie is “a fiction”! This leads into our story, as John Agar and Hugh Beaumont (yes, Ward Cleaver from “Leave It to Beaver”) lead an archeological expedition to find the source of an artifact found by a Mesopotamian boy-that he claims came from high up on a local mountain! After a mighty stock-footage mountain climb, the party discovers the ruins of an ancient civilization- somewhat rare to find at such a high altitude. Just then- a crack in the surface gives way, and one of the expedition members falls through- to whatever lies far below! His co-workers rappel down to try and save him- only to have their rope’s piton fail, leaving them trapped down in the deep crevice! As they try to find a way out through a connecting tunnel a cave-in blocks their original entry- forcing them to move further into the tunnel- where they encounter some strange beings who take them to an amazing underground city! These albino occupants appear to be the ancient Sumerian race that once lived in the surface town found in ruins on the mountaintop- and they don’t take kindly to strangers! Nor do they take kindly to a second race that they have enslaved- the bizarre and dangerous Mole People-humanoid moles that they mistreat. The only thing that saves our archeologist friends is that the beam of their flashlight actually HURTS the Sumerians- due to their years living in the underground darkness! When it’s suggested that the surface men might be gods, they assume the title of “messengers from the gods” as a way to insure their safety. The Sumerians also hold sacrifices to their gods, in which they send victims into the lethal “Eye of Ishtar”!!! Along the way, a clumsy serving girl, with suspiciously surface-dweller-like coloring, is “given” to our pals as a ”gift” (don’t worry-they never unwrap her! Get it? Gift? Unwrap?...never mind…) However, a high priest of the Sumerians starts to doubt that these guys have descended from the heavens- and begins to ferment discord towards them among his people. A three-way battle ensues between the Mole People, the Sumerians, and the surface humans- with deadly results! This favorite 1956 science fiction film is full of familiar faces- along with Agar and Beaumont, we get Nestor Paiva, who was also the wacky boat captain in “Creature from the Black Lagoon”- as well as Alan Napier as the suspicious high priest – you probably know him best as Adam West’s butler Alfred on the 1960s “Batman” series! Most impressive, though, are the Mole People- whose unique creature design may be among those of the best remembered 50s monsters! “The Mole People” will surface tonight a 10 pm eastern, 9 pm central, or- please check what time it runs in your area. In our home base of Chicago, you can also see a return engagement of “Bride of Frankenstein” (which, by the way, had a huge viewership on Me-TV last week- thanks for watching!) at 11 am on WCIU- the U! Final reminder- I will be at the Volo Auto Museum in Volo, IL today at noon- signing autographs for one hour only! Come out and say hello!